1. Case History and Initial Assessment:
* Patient interview: The audiologist will ask about your medical history, hearing concerns (when did it start, what makes it worse/better, family history of hearing loss), current medications, and any relevant lifestyle factors (e.g., exposure to loud noise).
* Visual inspection: The outer ear and ear canal will be visually examined for any obvious problems like earwax buildup, infection, or foreign objects.
2. Pure Tone Audiometry:
* Threshold testing: This is the core of a hearing test. You'll sit in a soundproof booth wearing headphones. The audiologist will present pure tones (single frequencies) at different intensities (loudness levels). You'll raise your hand or press a button when you hear a tone. This determines your hearing threshold – the softest sound you can hear at each frequency. This is done separately for each ear.
* Air conduction: Tests hearing through the air pathway (outer, middle, and inner ear).
* Bone conduction: Tests hearing directly through the bones of the skull, bypassing the outer and middle ear. This helps differentiate between conductive (middle ear) and sensorineural (inner ear) hearing loss.
3. Speech Audiometry:
* Speech reception threshold (SRT): Determines the softest level at which you can understand speech.
* Word recognition score (WRS): Tests your ability to understand words presented at a comfortable listening level. This helps assess the clarity of your hearing.
4. Other Tests (Depending on the situation):
* Tympanometry: Measures the movement of the eardrum and middle ear bones in response to changes in air pressure. This helps identify middle ear fluid or problems with the eardrum.
* Acoustic reflexes: Measures the involuntary contraction of muscles in the middle ear in response to loud sounds. This can help diagnose certain types of hearing loss.
* Otoacoustic emissions (OAEs): Measures sounds emitted by the inner ear. Absence of OAEs can indicate inner ear problems.
* Auditory brainstem response (ABR): Measures the brain's electrical response to sounds. This is often used for newborn hearing screenings and diagnosing neurological hearing problems.
5. Results and Discussion:
* The audiologist will review your test results and explain your hearing levels, type of hearing loss (conductive, sensorineural, mixed), and the degree of hearing loss (mild, moderate, severe, profound).
* They will discuss management options, including hearing aids, assistive listening devices, or referral to other specialists if needed.
This is a general overview. The specific tests performed will be tailored to your individual needs and concerns. It's important to remember that hearing tests are non-invasive and generally painless.